Customer Reviews

The aluminum trail: China-Burma-India, World War II, 1942-1945 : how & where they died

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This book documents the losses suffered by the pilots and crews who flew supplies from India to China along the dreaded Hump route over the Himalayas. Over five hundred of these planes were lost. They were lost to bad weather, mechanical failure or were shot down by marauding Japanese fighters. This book came to be as a result of relatives trying to find out what happened to their loved ones. The planes were flown by the American military as the ATC or Air Transport Command. Many missions were also flown by CNAC the China National Air Carrier. The ATC crews got the worst of it simply because they did not have the experience that the seasoned CNAC aircrews did. The location and mystery surrounding these lost wrecks are endlessly fascinating and this book provides a rare and wonderful look back to those troubled times. Essential for the bookshelf of any CBI (China Burma India) scholar. Another book on this subject is CNAC 53 by Fletcher HanksSaga Of CNAC #53

This rough but important publication was the result of a widow's persistence to learn what became of her husband; his plane disappeared over the 'Hump' - the foothills of the Himalayas flown by the Army Air Corps from points then in Burma (e.g. Chittagong) in support of the Chinese during WWII.

It consists of the records of lost crews, dates of disappearance, names, attempts to locate (all in vain). Typically, no news is learned but that they disappeared and when: how remains a mystery known only to the clouds and mountains. A poor but acceptable replacement for a dog tag.

My son knew a man who flew over the "hump" during WW2 ... he told him about that book years ago and we've been on the "hunt" ever since... I can't count the number of old book stores we've been in.
I gave my son the book as an early Christmas present... he has laughed, cried and been completely fascinated with it and describes it as "the treasure of a lifetime". It is extremely well-written, factual and entertaining and I can't tell you how much we appreciate your help in locating this long-sought-after book.

I've been looking for a long time for this item. Great service and quick turnaround.